Q.1. The most important argument for a stable schedule is that Lean is not very capable of dealing with a situation where sudden changes in production levels occur, since this affects the other entities in the system. For instance, given a stable process, a sudden change would either lead to stoppage in some part of the assembly, or another such problem. This would lead to a stoppage of work throughout the line. Since the lean system works on a ‘just in time’ concept, suppliers would also be affected since inventory gets shipped from the supplier’s side only when required. Thus, a stable schedule becomes paramount in keeping a balance in the lean system.
Secondly, a stable production schedule also allows “backflushing” to manage inventory. (Chase 522) For example, a produced item’s bill of raw materials is usually used in determining the usage quantities of the various parts required in assembly of the produced item, thus doing away with the necessity to collect detailed usage information on the shop floor, making the process more efficient.
Thirdly, any change made to the production schedule gets magnified backwards along the line in the absence of a schedule. Thus the concept of freeze window is used, where the schedule gets fixed, and no further changes are then possible. (Chase 522) For example, on a manufacturing line of an engine, a production schedule has to be fixed before a targeted production starts. Once the production begins, a disruption can be disastrous to the flow of the assembly, the manpower arrangements and to the suppliers who would be ready at their end with the inventory to be supplied at short notice (as per “Just in time” concept).
These three reasons warrant that lean must have a stable production schedule that is target based and feasible.
Q.2. Lean Manufacturing has acquired a very important place in our industries today. Consequently, it becomes important to learn more about this highly regarded concept, which bears applications in a range of industries today.
It is important to study more about lean manufacturing. For example, studying about lean gives us an insight into understanding how Quality determination & manufacturing processes work, as well how these aspects relate to the business strategy and competitiveness of an organization. Thus, implementing better lean systems with more advanced scheduling methods can give a major competitive edge to any organization within a particular industry. With this in view, more industries are implementing Lean than ever before.
Lean has tremendous advantages over conventional manufacturing, starting with reduction in fixed costs, high WIP queues as well as build up of inventory. For instance, most manufacturers across sectors have reported a drop of the average cycle time as well as the average working capital requirement by almost 50% on implementing lean, not to mention cost savings on overhead fixed costs, and lower indirect costs. (Donovan)
Thirdly, with the unprecedented success of Lean in Manufacturing, other sectors and industries such as services, construction, and architecture, amongst others are increasingly opting for Lean. For example, a certain durable goods producer who implemented Lean saw his cycle time down by almost 80%, the required factory space down by 50% and reworking of orders down by almost 90%. (Donovan) This indicates that Lean is now not only a manufacturing process, but a completely practical philosophy that is applied universally across all industries. Thus, it has now become more important than ever to study Lean.
With this in mind, I had specially enrolled for this course. I believe that completing this course can set me on the path to learning these manufacturing systems, with a view to understanding and implementing them properly, and across all situations. If I am not equipped with the knowledge of such a crucial philosophy, I am bound to face problems in my career, especially when I aim to be work for a company that would most likely be using this same concept for improving their processes. Hence I feel this course can benefit me by enabling me to learn the important concepts, methodologies and the manner in which Lean would be implemented, thus providing me an advantage in my career.
Q.3. Consider that we have opened a construction company. Traditionally, lean has never been used in construction, and hence we rethink and apply some of the concepts to construction to bring it on par with manufacturing through the use of lean.
We start off by harmonizing the schedule of the main construction contractor and the sub contractor. (Remon & Hafiz, 680) For example, by doing this we would save on both costs and labor, since the harmonization would ensure that the sub-contractor would deliver the correct type of material just in time to enable the main contractor to meet the targets. The way to implement this would be sign proper agreements that would highlight delivery schedules, and levy penalties where suppliers fail to deliver, as a foolproof measure.
The second argument would be in favor of reducing variability to improve performance. (Remon & Hafiz, 680) On a construction site, variability could arise from a number of factors ranging from availability of raw materials to problems arising out of faulty designs. For example, if we consider the availability of cement, then implementation of lean would ensure that just enough cement would be made available to meet the target. So for instance, if a single plinth level requires, say, 25 bags of cement, then there should be a target of just a single plinth, and no more than that. Any change to this would constitute variability which needs to be reduced.
The third argument would be to improve labor flow reliability to ensure lower labor variability. (Remon & Hafiz, 681) Labor includes skilled and unskilled laborers, but may also include chief engineers on the project, since their absence can hamper lean production. For example, implementation of Lean would require us to ensure that labor strikes or work stoppages do not occur when work for a scheduled target is being implemented as per the master schedule.
Some of these practices would ensure a higher level of efficiency, reduce wastage and drive down costs of construction, which are anyways the aims of the Lean philosophy.
Works Cited
Akinlawon, Akin. “Thinking of Lean Manufacturing Systems.” Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE), 2014. n.d Web. 04 Jul 2014
Chase, Richard. et al. Operations Management for Competitive Advantage. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. Print.
Donovan, Micheal. “Lean Manufacturing: Is it really worth it?” Reliable Plant. n.d Web. 04 Jul 2014
Remon, Aziz & Hafez, Sherif. “Applying Lean Thinking in Construction and Performance Improvement.” Alexandria Engineering Journal 52 (2013): 679 – 695. Print
